On the road back to Toronto from Montreal staring into a beautiful orange sunset. The past 5 days in part 2 of my Anusara Yoga Immersion have been simply wonderful. I always feel I am drawn to the right teachers. Robin Golt was such a great fit for me and the exploration at this stage of my practice.
The most profound physical realization was with my further discovery and play with thigh loop. An energetic loop that starts at the top of the back of your pelvis goes down the back of your thigh and up the front of your thigh to meet the start of the loop. Causing the back of your thigh to soft down, thigh bone being drawn back, and quad muscles lift up. The engagement of the this loop brought an enhanced freedom and expression of my downward dog. Robin proclaimed it as my forgotten loop. As I spent more time being aware of this loop and what it does to my physical practice my poses altered and transformed with much more ease and less doership.
One thing this immersion is teaching me is how important it is to never step away from the basics. We spent almost every day looking at the Yoga Sutras. I have spent much time looking at the sutras on my own, as well as reading and studying it during my 200hr teacher training. Having a teacher go over it and explain in away that my fellow students who didn't know it as well allowed for me to gain a deeper understanding of some aspects of certain chapters in the sutras. Basic should never stop being practice
Today I leave feeling very settled within myself, my current life, and how things are going.
We visited the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga in the Yoga Sutras, found in Sutra 2, chapter 29.
We were asked to pick one the Yamas (ethics to live by in relationships to others we have) or the Niyamas (ethics to live by in relations with our self), and explain how it could support our daily life as well as practical ways we could cultivate it in our practice and life.
I picked Santosa (contentment).
Santosa can support me in my daily life by letting me see that all I have and all I am doing is as it should be. If I keep over striving and worrying it pulls me away from be truly appreciative for what I have, and what can be foreseen to be coming. Resulting in a self created suffering. If I can practice being more content/joyful in my current position then I can accept more then desire. Still aim to have something, or be somewhere, but learn to be more present and accepting everything as a learning experience or as an experience of gratitude.
Santosa can be brought into my practice and life by allowing myself to constantly remind myself how lucky I am, and be grateful for that. I can meditate more on being settled rather then meditating on something I'm striving for to manifest. When a thought arises of desire rather then indulging right away, I'll reflect on what I have be grateful for it and see if it something that fits into my appreciation of where and what I have. I think santosa has a lot of to do with smriti (memory). Remind myself of the joys around me, and that contentment and joy do not come from abundance and success, but through the realization of the satisfaction of the current. I will take deep breaths and practice being here and now. My physical practice will grow from that as I will work to understand my limitation and work with them to find the growth that comes through accepting them. I will not let myself be brought down by them, as I have many great strengths to my practice.
Can't wait for part 3 of the immersion in June!
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